So this is my first year owning my own boat. I bought a 2001 X-Star back in the spring. In the past, I've always used my dad's boat, and he's always put the boat away on Thanksgiving weekend. Keep in mind that I live near Toronto, and Thanksgiving here is usually somewhere around October 8th to October 12th. I would say that the average temperature here in Toronto in October is somewhere around 9C-14C (48F to 57F) degrees. There is always a risk that the temperature could touch the freezing mark, or even slightly below, towards the end of October as well.

So my question is... how late in the season can you leave your boat in? I'd like to leave it in for the entire month of October and get a few extra weekends of boating in. Also, my boat has a very minor leak in it, so sometimes there's a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the hull. So with that being said, I'm assuming it would be better to take the boat out of the water during the week and just pop it in on weekends!?!?!?! Or should I just play it safe and winterize on Thanksgiving weekend?

troynautique

08-08-2012 7:21 PM

I'm in muskoka and tend to leave my boat in till last weekend in october and the boat stays in the water. But if the nights are dropping below zero I will take it out before then. Have been doing this for about ten years now with three different Nautiques and haven't had any issues.

boarditup

08-09-2012 8:59 AM

The water will keep your boat from freezing, as long as it is above 40F. You must cover it to ensure that the heat stays in. Lower than 40F, and you are begging for trouble. For extra insurance, a shop light (incadescent rough service bulb, multiple elements) can be turned on in the bilge to keep everything toasty. In MI, we take the boat out the day after Thanksgiving with what I described.

behindtheboat

08-09-2012 12:11 PM

Until right before the first hard freeze or it hits 29 F.. Differs every year

greg_smith

08-09-2012 8:08 PM

Tony, good to know! Muskoka is further north than I am, so I'm sure I'll be fine till the end of October as well.

Boarditup, I'm not quite sure what you mean. You put a shop light where water accumulates in the boat to stop that water from freezing?? And I'm assuming you meant you keep your boat in until the American thanksgiving in the later part of November?!?!?!?!

greg_smith

10-13-2012 7:45 AM

So.... I actually got some hard numbers on this if anyone is interested.

I was talking to a mechanic recently, and they basically told me that a boat will be ok until it hits -5C (23F) at night (for 3 consectutive nights) where the temperature is not getting above 0C (32F) during the day. At this point, you risk damage. With that being said, the nights here are starting to touch -1C and -2C, and this is apparently NOT an issue.

Some marinas here in Ontario will accept boats for winterization up until a certain date. After that date, if you choose to keep your boat in, they will make you sign a waiver if you want them to winterize it. The particular marina I am dealing with will accept boats until the weekend of October 27/28 before making you sign a waiver. So, I plan to have my boat in by that weekend at the latest.

gti2lo

10-18-2012 10:58 AM

My X-star is staying in till the weekend after this one (October 27/28th)

As the boat sits in the water I am not worried about freezing as the water is still in the 50s and provides sufficient heat through the hull to keep the engine bay warm enough during the cooler nights.

I am doing my own winterization this year so it should be fun then taking it to get stored and winterized....

Greg---where abouts are you?

greg_smith

10-20-2012 5:26 AM

Greg, my family has two different locations where I ride. I do most of my riding on Upper Buckhorn Lake, which is in the Peterbourgh area (Ennismore to be more specific). The other location is on a small lake named Lake Dalrymple. This is about 15-20 miles east of Lake Simcoe. The closest town to this is called Brechin, but I tell most people it's close to Orillia.